Добавлено: 25-01-2019 09:01:30 Заголовок сообщения: This is part two of a three-part weekly film analysis

on the performance of Patrick Mahomes. Part one here.I mentioned Tuesday that we’re nearing a point with Patrick Mahomes where it won’t matter what the defense does. That he’ll just rise above it.Franchise quarterbacks are worth well beyond the salary cap hit that they incur. They find ways to elevate organizations all around them. The circumstances weren’t perfect in New England. There were injuries on both sides of the ball Mitchell Schwartz Jersey Salute to Service , a lot of talent had to miss the game. It didn’t matter. Yes, the game started out rough, but regardless of the struggles, Mahomes elevated his play and made up for significant losses to come back and take the lead against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. There are positive things from that game, and we’ll talk about a few here today.Something smartThis is a sneaky great play by Mahomes, both from the mental and physical side.Late in the third quarter, with the Chiefs trailing 27-19, Mahomes and company have a chance to come within one (they do) or tie (I would’ve) the Patriots. They’re in the red zone at the New England 14-yard line on a second-and-10. The Chiefs are lined up in a closed formation with Travis Kelce lined up into the boundary, attached to the offensive line with three receivers lined up to the field and Kareem Hunt in the backfield to the field side as well.The Patriots are showing man-free coverage (Cover 1). They had done a good job of muddying things up for Mahomes earlier in the game with a variety of tweaks to the pre-snap looks. One thing they had success with was moving one or two players in the box around after Mahomes had set the protection.On this play, Mahomes initially sets the protection to No. 23, Patrick Chung, lined up in the box but adjusts to No. 53, Kyle Van Noy. After the protection is set, Chung slides over to cover Hunt. On the snap, Van Noy blitzes. Mahomes knows it’s man-free coverage.There is a big void in the boundary-side corner of the end zone if the Chiefs can get someone over there. Luckily for them, they have the fastest player in theNFL lined up as the No. 3 receiver in the slot. Hill ran vertically for two yards and then darted to the corner of the end zone. With Kelce running an underneath route across the field, there’s plenty of space to deliver a ball. If the middle-field safety can be occupied long enough, there’s a window to throw. Mahomes knows this and holds the safety by looking to the wide side of the field.The throw is nothing short of perfect. At the absolute perfect time Authentic Tyreek Hill Jersey , Mahomes flips his hips and eyes to deliver the throw. He waited for the last second to deliver the ball into the corner. The placement, touch and accuracy of the throw were perfect. Great design to get the talent in a perfect place to succeed and excellent execution by both quarterback and receiver.Something specialThe last throw of Mahomes’ first half was something bad and led to a turnover and a lost opportunity for points. The next chance the kid got to deliver a throw? Whew.The Chiefs need to convert this critical third-and-2. Already down 24-9, they simply can’t give the ball back to the Patriots.The Chiefs are lined up in a familiar look they like to run in situations like these. They have Kelce, Hill and Hunt all lined up into the boundary in a condensed look. We talked about it in the season’s first edition of 45 seconds:Kelce is going to run a whip route, Hill is going to run a middle curl and Hunt is going to run a swing. As the video above shows, they’ve been able to hit Hunt on the swing with space to convert. The Patriots are in Cover 2, so the boundary corner is playing the flats. Mahomes wanted to hit Hunt again, but with the corner covering him, he had to improvise. He rolls to his right and Hunt turns upfield. A reminder—this is third-and-2. It’s as gutsy as it gets to deliver a ball in this situation down the field. If the Chiefs don’t convert, they’re likely to give the ball back to the Patriots who are already up two scores. That didn’t shake the kid. The second view of the throw is my favorite. This was the first pass attempt for Mahomes after his second interception. This is a critical play in prime time. In that situation, he delivers a throw with small margin for error. The fearlessness Mahomes displays rubs off on people. He’s confident and more than capable of doing things that elevate the team around him. Both sides of the ball are energized by these kinds of plays and the frequency we’re seeing them at. He’s running out of things to prove and it’s only Week 6. The kid is for real. In a very on-brand turn of events, the Kansas City Chiefs will enter the fourth quarter of the regular season without two of their best offensive players.For completely different reasons, Kareem Hunt and Sammy Watkins will not be playing football in Kansas City during December.Watkins, at least, might return before the New Year.But in Hunt’s case, it’s almost certain he will never again don the red and gold.The Chiefs — clinging to a one-game lead for the number one playoff seed in the AFC — now face the daunting task of playing the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers in a five-day stretch, with victories in both games critical to their placement in the playoffs.Andy Reid has said many times how much he likes the fight in his team. Well, during the rest of the calendar year Limited Demetrius Harris Jersey , we’re going to find out how real that fight is. And we’re going to learn a lot more about the leadership chops of Patrick Mahomes.Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesThis week, we received new insight on this intangible in Terez Paylor’s report about Mahomes speaking to the team before the Oakland Raiders game on Sunday. Early returns are positive.But the opportunities to face adversity aren’t slowing down. Instead, they’re increasing. Now the Chiefs face a significant five-day stretch that will drastically affect the odds of a Super Bowl run.Being without Sammy Watkins — someone who is capable of separating against man coverage — is a significant loss to the Chiefs.This will be especially true against Baltimore’s excellent pass defense this Sunday. Chris Conley has done an admirable job during the last few weeks, but he is not as capable of getting open as Watkins has been. Watkins’ absence was significant before the Hunt news came out.It is even more significant now.The developmental plan for Mahomes was to surround him with as much offensive talent as possible, so the Chiefs could stress defenses and always have a favorable matchup for Mahomes to exploit — and to take pressure off Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. That luxury is gone. Without Watkins and Hunt, last week’s game against the Raiders was up and down;Mahomes dragged his team through the game when things were clearly off.So the real test starts now.Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesMahomes has been battle-tested in primetime... while short-handed... with poor defensive performances... and through adversity both on and off the field.Through it all, he’s somehow passed with flying colors.But now, the pressure starts to mount as teams jockey for the pole position in January, and the grind of the season starts to wear down the players. Mahomes has to be the energy for this team — and he must do so in a week where nothing good has happened. It would be easy for his team to see who’s not on the field right now, but his job is to help them not to notice — and to get his team rally around him, and play with the kind of toughness Reid thinks they have. The return of Eric Berry could help, but until he runs out of that tunnel, Mahomes needs to elevate his play, keeping his team focused on making the AFC’s run to the Super Bowl come through Arrowhead Stadium.It might be unrealistic to expect Mahomes to be able to continue to carry this team the way he has — but so far, everything about him has been unrealistic. For his team to reach the expectations they have set for themselves, he’s going to have to continue to clear the high bars no one expected him to even attempt just 12 games into his first season as a starter.The home stretch — and the playoffs — are a different beast than what he’s seen so far.And he’ll have to face this challenge without the benefit of a safety net. If he succeeds, the floor and ceiling for his career will rise beyond our wildest expectations.